Understanding Analogies: Types and Relationships

What is an Analogy?

• An analogy compares two things, typically to explain something or illustrate a point.
• A relationship exists between the two objects.
• The analogy has comparable or similar aspects, ideas, or qualities.

Distinguishing Relationships

• BURNING relates to FREEZING as HOT relates to COLD.
• SOFT relates to PILLOW as HARD relates to STONE.
• ICE CREAM relates to BRAIN FREEZE as STUDYING relates to LEARNING.
• BOW relates to LONG-RANGED WEAPON as SWORD relates to SHORT-RANGED WEAPON.

Key Considerations

• Relationships vary for each analogy.
• Concepts in an analogy can have a direct, indirect, concrete, or abstract relationship depending on the analogy type.
• Reading carefully helps to determine the relationships for each analogy.
• It is imporant to determine "what the compared relationship is"

Types of Analogies

• Opposite Analogy: Crying and laughing are opposites in meaning.
• Object and Classification Analogy: Objects can be classified into one or more groups, like a knife being a weapon or kitchenware.
• Object and Related Object Analogy: Plant and seed are related to each other.
• Cause and Effect Analogy: Fire and burn, or read and learn, relate in terms of cause and effect.
• Degrees of a Characteristic Analogy: Adjectives are in increasing or decreasing degree, like Tired & Exhausted or Cold & Freezing.
• Object and Group Analogy: Several objects together make a group, like trees and forest or sheep and herd.
• Problem and Solution Analogy: Tired & Sleep, which focuses on a problem and the related solution.
• Effort and Result Analogy: Paint & Painting, Write & Letter where one word is the effort and the other is the result.
• Object and Function Analogy: Keyboard & to type where one word is object, and another one is the related function.
• Performer and Action Analogy: Painter & paint, Ballerina & dance where both the performer and action are mentioned.

Importance of Analogies

• Understanding analogies and relationships with objects is important to Reading Comprehension
• Analogies assist conveying a message in a different manner.
• You can establish concrete or abstract connections for better understanding.

Key Points to Remember

• Relationships between analogies aren't always the same.
• You must identify the relationship for each analogy.
• Relationships can be physical, abstract, or related to the word itself.

Example Analogies

• ruler : measure :: scissors : cut
• hand : glove :: foot : sock
• wheel : car :: branch : tree

Recap

• The relationship between analogies isn't always the same.
• The analogy can be a physical relationship, related by an abstract concept, or something to do with the word itself.
• The first set usually sets the context of the analogy.

Practice Examples

• large : big :: shout : scream
• bear : den :: bat : cave
• musician : instrument :: singer : voice
• hot : cold :: sweet : sour
• goose : flock :: bees : swarm